MAL DE MER (SEASICK)

“There are three sorts of people; those who are alive, those who are dead, and those who are at sea”

- Aristotle

“Si tu vas pas a la mer, tu gagneras rien” (If you don’t go to sea, you’ll get nothing)

- Numerous fishermen in Marseille/Carro, 2025

Christian is a fisherman within touching distance of retirement; as the sun rises a mile off the coast of Marseille, he and his son-in-law haul in another disappointing catch. Unbeknownst to them, a storm of epic proportions is brewing on the horizon.

Jeanne, Caitlin, Aurora and Solene are four theatre-makers in search of a story.

In an explosive, revelatory hour that blurs the boundary between documentary and fiction, they recount the story that swam into their net; a whirlwind contemporary Odyssey about fish, family and the end of the world. Ancient monsters rise from the depths to meet the absurdities of late capitalism; oral tradition confronts ecological collapse; generations clash and cultures collide.

On stage, the four actors merge field recordings, live music, and soundscaping, along with the native tongues of their four respective nationalities. It’s performed in French, English and Norwegian with subtitles.

Funny, poetic and physical, Mal de mer (seasick) is a story about when to hold on and how to let go in an ever-sinking world.

Created by Compagnie FRÈRES (Aurora Nyttingnes, Caitlin Campbell, Jeanne Passot, Marta Mcilduff & Solène Bourdeau)

Directed by Marta Mcilduff